A Loan For An Exorcist
by IrishFrenchy
Summary: Rin Okumura meets Chika Akatsuki, and they find that they both have secrets they're trying to hide. Friends through thick and thin, right? Hope you enjoy this. Shito/Michiru Yuki/Shiemi Rin/OC
1. Do You Know You Smell Like A Keg?

_True Cross Academy, Japan_

Rin Okumura threw the bag for his sword over his shoulder and sighed. It had been a long day and he was sure thankful it was over. He nearly had to drag his ass to start moving when the bell rang. He stepped into the hallway and tiredly made his way for the huge doors that stood between him and the fresh air outside. It was getting late in the day and the sun would set soon. Even though he was tired, he decided it would be good for him to get some air and take a little walk. It was autumn and all the leaves had already changed colors and were falling off the trees. The grass was littered with red and orange leaves, and seemed to be a sea of sunset colors. It was a chilly day and though he had his uniform jacket buttoned up, he was still cold. He let out a shiver as a gust of wind blew by and through his thick hair.

He took a deep breath as he made his way past the courtyard. He prayed no one would say a word to him because he wasn't in the mood for conversation. People were all around, hanging out. He envied them for what they had. They had friends, parents who were still alive, and siblings who didn't think of them as a dangerous and uncontrollable. The loneliness that crept up his spine then was hard to ignore and shake off. The day was Friday and that meant that all the students here would be out at parties and bars. He thought of all the cute girls that would be out and about and it only depressed him further. He would be stuck in his dorm all weekend, as he had promised his brother he wouldn't get into any trouble at all. Yukio had gone away for a week to do work somewhere up north but didn't say much else. He was too mysterious as far as Rin was concerned. It annoyed him and Yukio was well aware.

It wasn't that he and Yukio were 'fighting,' he would say they were merely 'having a tiff.' They hadn't seen eye to eye these past few weeks. Yukio got moody sometimes...

Rin hung his head low as he walked down the boulevard with his hands in his pockets. He decided to take a walk around town to clear his head. He had so much on his mind and the crisp air felt good to his lungs. Whenever he was upset or nervous, he liked to be outside not cooped up in a house or a dorm room.

Shiemi waved to him as he passed another dorm house. He smiled and waved back. "Hey," he said before moving on.

His mind was elsewhere as he crossed the street. He wondered how life would be if the old man was still around. When he was alone he often thought about how life would be different. Rin shook his head as if to shake off his thoughts. He didn't even notice as a man came tumbling out of a bar door and rolled to a stop. He got up and grinned. "I'm okay, Jack," he told a buddy of his. The man tripped again, having drunk a little too much. He fell onto the sidewalk in front of Rin, who didn't even have time to react. He stepped on the man but began apologizing before he was even taking another breath.

"I'm so sorry," Rin explained, offering the man a hand. "I didn't see you there." The man on the ground proceeded to take Rin up on his offer as he helped him up. Rin didn't even see it coming as the man punched him square across the jaw. Rin fell backwards, stunned. He landed on his butt down on the hard, cold sidewalk. The tall drunken man smirked again and nodded. "That was for wrinkling my shirt." He dusted off his hands as if it was a job well done and he was proud. His silver hair was messy and his shirt was wrinkled to all get-out. He looked no older than sixteen, with a little facial hair just beginning to come in.

Rin gritted his teeth and tried to hold in the small growl that would have escaped his lips. It took all his energy to hold in his blue flames but he managed. He stood up slowly and walked up to the taller man. "So, you think you can push people around?" The crowd of people who were watching began to get nervous and leave, some going back into the bar and some walking away. The drunken man tried to stand up tall but he just hiccupped and slumped his shoulders instead. Rin balled up his fists. "What's your problem? Alcohol turns people in the biggest assholes, I swear." He said the last bit under his breath but the drunk heard him none-the-less. He grabbed Rin's shoulder, spinning him until he landed flat against the wood door of the bar. His back went straight into the doorknob and it began to ache something terrible. It surprised Rin that the man was so strong. He was muscular but skinny, too. He didn't look like a guy who was able to hold Rin back, nevertheless do it while he was drunk.

Rin tried to break free but he was exhausted and didn't really care too much. Finally, he sighed. "Look mister, I'm not in the mood for a fight. You're just drunk and boy, do you smell like a keg. You should just go home and sleep it off." He was trying to joke a little but the man wouldn't have it. "Should I really?" He raised his eyebrows at Rin rather smugly and tightened his grip on the shirt collar. "You know what I think?" the man said, moving closer to Rin. His breath smelled like death and Rin couldn't help but scrunch up his nose. "I think you should go to hell." Rin chuckled at the irony of this man's words but said nothing.

The man let go of his collar just as he moved to punch him again. He was too slow, though. Rin caught his fist and hit him in the face with his elbow. The man fell backwards and much to Rin's dismay, caught himself. His nose started to bleed but he barely noticed. He was too far gone. "Drunk," Rin mumbled, pissed off.

The man put up a finger at him and hiccuped. "Drunk? That is not my name. My name is Chika." That was the last thing the man said because he fell over and onto his back. Rin watched this all happen, finding it slightly hilarious. No one else was around anymore and the sun was beginning to set. He looked down the man who was out cold on the pavement and shook his head.

"I can't just leave him here," he thought as he scratched his head.


	2. Boy B?

In the morning Rin awoke early and took a long, hot shower. The sun was just beginning to rise as he finished up his breakfast in the kitchen. He threw the banana peel into the trash as he thought of something his father used to tell him quite often. "The first meal is the most important one and trust me when I say this, it will keep you going through the day to fight off demons and annoying brothers." Of course his father had been kidding but now, Rin took his father's advice in literal terms.

Ukobach waved to Rin as he left the kitchen. He was sitting up on the counter with a coffee mug. "See ya," Rin said and chuckled at his little friend.

When Rin got back to his dorm room, he gave himself a bit of a start. He had almost forgetten that he had taken the man who had called himself Chika, back to his dorm the previous night. He decided it was the right thing to do, as he didn't want him to get jumped or anything during the night and maybe it was that care that his father had instilled in him at such a young age. He didn't want this guy to get hurt, no matter how hard he had punched him. Besides, he had been drunk. Rin knew from experience that the nicest people could be the biggest jerks after a few drinks.

Rin walked over to the other side of the dorm room to sit on his bed. Kuro was snuggled up next to his pillow, and one of his tails covered his nose to keep him warm. Rin was dressed in old jeans and a sweatshirt, and he was glad because it was a bit chilly in the room with the window open. He didn't have the energy in his body to go and close it. Yesterday had been exhausting and to make matters worse, he hadn't slept very well. It had been, for all intents and purposes, a rough night.

The man opposite him, in his brother's bed, began to stir. For a long moment after he woke up he was dazed and confused. He looked around the dorm, and then focused his eyes on Rin. "Do I know you?

Rin laughed lightly to himself. "You don't remember last night, do you?" The man shook his head as he rubbed his jaw. His face reddened a little, but not enough to be really noticeable. "No, I don't remember anything." He pushed his fingers threw his light colored hair, musing it even more. "But, I do have a wicked hangover." He chuckled a little, to himself. Rin imagined he found his situation funny, perhaps because it happened to him often.

Rin yawned, still feeling the lack of sleep. It was barely light out and he felt like he should still be in bed, all curled up and asleep. 'Life's not fair sometimes,' he thought and shook his head. "So, you're name's Chika, right?"

The man nodded and smirked. "Yeah, name's Chika Akatsuki. Yours?" Rin stood up and stretched his long legs. "Rin, Rin Okumura. You hungry? You want something to eat? The kitchen's down the hall." Lazily, he walked back over to the dining area and sat down at the old table. "All I have in here is a coffee pot." He waited for Chika to answer while he played with the cover of a manga book lying on the table.

Chika yawned and thought for a moment. "Coffee, please?" He laughed but winced, remembering the massive headache that was threatening to split his poor skull in two. He watched as Rin poured some of the steaming brew he'd made earlier into an old mug. After, he motioned for his new friend to come over to the table. Chika got up and followed direction. "Thanks," he said gratefully as he took the mug from Rin's hands. He took a slow sip of it and looked thoughtful for a long moment. "So, what did happen last night? Or, do I not want to know?" Together, they laughed and for a moment, they felt like they already known each other. It was as if they had already been friends in a past life.

"Well, after class yesterday I went for a walk," Rin began as Chika drank some of his black coffee.

When all was said and done, stories having been told, Rin and Chika had went for a walk to the coffee shop around the corner. Chika had a few bucks and offered to buy some lunch. When they arrived at the shop, they bought lunch and sat down by the window to munch on their sandwhiches.

"So what do you do for a living?" Rin asked Chika between big bites of his pastrami on rye. He swallowed and waited for Chika to finish the sip of his drink that he had been taking. Chika shrugged. "I'm just a student, I don't have a job..." Something about the way he said it made Rin wonder if he was lying. "I doubt that. Come on, it can't be that bad." Rin smirked and took another bite. "Yeah, it can," Chika replied. "Trust me, it can."

Rin raised his deep blue eyes to his friend. "What, are you an assasin or something?" Chika couldn't help but laugh at the look on Rin's face. "No," he said, quickly. "I'm not a hired hitman from another country. I hate guns." Chika laughed. "I'm more of a sword person, to tell you the truth. Guns are overrated, I think." Rin nodded and agreed. "You know, I totally agree." There was a hint of a smile and a vague memory in Rin's dark eyes.

They were both quiet for a while as they finished their meals, but as they paid the tab Chika spoke. "So, what do you do for a living?" Rin grinned at the humor of the situation. "I'm a student at True Cross Acedemy." Chika looked flabergasted and he raised his eyebrows. "Really? No way." He looked at Rin for a long moment and took in his shaggy hair, rough demeanor, and punk style before they continued to walk towards the door. His old english boots had seen better days and his jeans were worn in. He certainly didn't look like an A+ student. Lucky for Rin, Chika didn't ask what classes he was studying. Chika finally spoke. "You don't seem like somebody who, well, you don't look like someone who would attent TCA, not one bit." Rin chuckled and held the door open for Chika as they left the dinner. "I know."

It was cold out, and Rin put his hands into his dark blue sweatshirt's pockets. He could see his breath and the trees outside still had leaves to fall off. The street was full of bright yellows, neon oranges, and fire reds. It was a pretty sight to witness and it made Rin a little happier.

"So, where you live?" Chika had been in his own little world and now Rin's voice brought him back to the here and now. "Where do I live?" Rin almost tripped over the curb as they crossed the street. "No, I was asking the man next to you." He rolled his eyes for emphasis. "Yes, you."

Chika thought for a moment and watched as some girls walked by. They all were chatting and giggling at something. "I uh, I don't really have a home. I move around. But, at the moment I'm at a dorm building a few blocks from here." Rin nodded. "I should probably get home. Shito's probably throwing a fit right now." He rubbed his chin, totally lost in his thoughts. "Who's Shito?" Rin asked. Chika mentally kicked himself. "My-my coworker of sorts." He shook his head a bit, obviously satisfied with his own choice of words.

"I thought you didn't have a job?" Rin asked, his eyes getting big and wide. "Wait, you are an assasin, aren't you?" He started to go nuts. "You are! Tell me, it's true. And, now that I know, you're gonna kill me, too!"

Chika just shook his head at the absurdity of this kid's thoughts. "Chill, okay? I'm not a murderer for money and I am not going to kill you." Some people who happened to be strolling by gave them both odd looks, but kept walking.

Rin calmed down but he was still breathing heavy. Suddenly, he stopped walking and turned to Chika. "You promise?" Chika chuckled, again. "Yeah, I promise. Don't worry." Just then, Chika thought of an interesting question. "Say, what is that thing you carry with you? That's a type of sword bag, right?" He pointed to the bag that was swung over Rin's shoulder. Rin tried to think of an easy answer. "Oh, well, I do a lot of art. I keep my stuff in here. I take it everywhere with me. Never know when you might have a chance to draw, you know." He added a smile for good measure. Chika smirked. "That's so cool. I always envied people who are good at art."

"Really?" Rin asked, genuinly curious. Chika nodded. "Yeah. I was never good at anything, really. I'm just good with my hands. I'm good at wood work and plumbing. I'm good with katanas, too." Rin's eyes met Chika's and it was almost as if they both knew they were different.

"Hey, wait," Rin said. "You were involved in that accident that happened last year, weren't you? I heard about that in the news. The Takahashi overpass callapsed and they firgured everyone died. I remember your face. I thought I recognized you. They couldn't figure out how you and some other guy survived without a scratch." Chika swallowed the nervous lump in his throat. "Yeah, that was me." Rin ran his fingers through his dark hair, astonished. "I can't believe it's you. That's crazy." He thought for a moment, but then his eyebrows drew together. "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to... I apologize if I brought back some bad memories or something." Chika put his palms up and shook his head. "It's okay. Don't feel bad."

They both kept walking as they tried to shake off the uneasy feeling that overwhelmed them. Something about the way they connected to eachother was weird. The supernatural was an important part of life and the world. Not many people acknowledged it and though they didn't know eachother too well, they felt as if they _both _knew what was out there, prehaps even knew it just a little too well.

"Well," Chika began as they arrived at the cemetary. "This is where we'll be parting ways, I suppose. My dorm is across the cemetary." By now, it was near dinner, though neither of them were the least bit hungry. His tail was beginning to get sore from being tucked into his pants and shirt for so long and he couldn't wait to get home.

Rin kicked a rock and nodded. "Yeah, sure." He and Chika both looked up at the sky when some thunder rumbled by. "I think it's gonna rain," Rin added. "Jeez," Chika said and laughed. "I wonder what gave you that idea?" Rin hit his arm lightly. "Oh, shut up." Chika sobred after a moment. "Um, thanks for not just leaving me out there last night. That was cool of you." Not a moment had passed by before Rin had shook his head and answered. "No problem."

"I'll see you around?" Chika asked as he turned for the cemetary gate. The gate's metal poles were covered in vines and the old brick was coming apart. It looked like it was straight out of a scary movie. 'At night this places must be pretty fun, scary too,' Rin thought to himself. He shook his head, finally acknowledging Chika. "See you around."

After Chika had disapeared into the huge cemetary, Rin sighed a long breath. 'I'll never see him again, I bet,' he thought, sadly. "I can't believe that was B-Kun. Wow." As Rin made his way home he thought about everything that had happened today and how long a day it had been. "I can't wait to go to sleep," he said and sighed.


	3. Who's Afraid Of The Thunder?

He couldn't take it anymore. It was too boring, too dull, and too quiet. Rin threw a paper plane towards Bon and watched as it flew, almost gracefully, but suddenly took a dip and fell to the floor. His cheek rested on his fist and one of his eyes was closed. Shiemi gave Rin an odd look. "You know, you wouldn't be so bored if you did your work." He rolled his head to look at her. "I know." A moment passed by and they laughed.

Bon threw a piece of paper at Rin and the teacher who was subbing either didn't notice or didn't care. He went right on reading his book that seemed to be longer than a few bibles put together. The book work that was assigned was written up on the blackboard. A few classmates shook their heads at Rin and Bon but Shiemi giggled. "Boys…" she said under her breath.

A game of paper football soon broke out between Bon, his boys, and Rin. Surprisingly though, it ended in laughs. Rin threw his arms up in triumph as he scored on the man opposite him. Bon rolled his eyes overdramatically and pushed his hand threw his dyed hair. "Alright, you won… this time." He tried to look scary but it failed. Together, they both laughed.

When class was over, Rin nearly cried out of happiness. "Last class of the day, baby," he said happily and fist-pumped. He was the last to exit the building and when he did, Kuro was waiting for him right outside the door. They walked to a bench, where they sat down together. Kuro jumped up on the old flimsy wood. He put his paws on Rin's leg and meowed.

Together, they began walking towards town. "I'm kind of hungry," Rin said, mostly to himself. Kuro meowed somewhere near him, acknowledging his words. He almost sounded sympathetic.

It was late at night when Rin left the diner to get home. He had already done his homework and called his brother to see when he'd be coming home. On the way, it began to pour. The heavier the rain got, the angrier Rin became. He loved the rain, absolutely loved it, but he had a bad day and this certainly was not helping in any way.

'Good luck is hard to come by these days,' Rin thought to himself and shook his head. It was just his luck that it would downpour the moment he left the diner. It had been another long and dreadful day. Class had been okay. But after he had left, he couldn't get his mind off of his father. A little later that day when he was out, he'd run into Bon again but that wasn't all bad. Bon had actually been in a good mood for once and they hadn't ragged on each other. Bon couldn't hang out though because he a night job to go to.

He plodded through the wet leaves as he crossed a park near his dorm and made his way to the huge doors. After unlocking the door with the key that Mephisto had given him, he took in a deep breath and sighed. The hallway was dark and he was careful not to bump into anything as he made his way to the wing where his room was. He heard Kuro follow him in before the door closed behind him. The demon cat trotted to catch up with him.

He was thankful for his brother needing to be away as he laid down onto his bed a few minutes later. It was quiet and dark in the big room, and that was just how Rin wanted it. A bolt of lightening outside lit up his room but it went back to its usual darkness within a moment or two. Finally deciding to take a hot shower he got up and left for the bathroom, but he stopped when he heard a noise.

He tip-toed to the door as he grabbed Kurikara. 'No one lives here besides me and my brother,' he thought nervously. Another noise came from behind his door as he readied himself to draw his sword. He decided against unsheathing his sword, though. He didn't want somebody to see his true identity. He jumped in front of the door and threw it open, pulling his fist back to punch the intruder.

Ukobach stood in front of the door, trembling. Rin put his fist down and just looked at him for a good minute or so. Finally, he knelt down next to his small demon friend and smiled. "Scared of the thunder, huh?" Ukobach nodded and folded his arms across his chest. "You scared me, I thought somebody was gonna break into my room." Ukobach gave him an apologetic look from the ground.

"Well," Rin began. "I know the perfect remedy. Let's go make some herbal tea." He put his hand on his friend's back as they walked down the hallways to the kitchen together. "I'm scared of thunder too, so you don't have to be embarrassed or anything." He tried to comfort him and in return, he got a small smile from his little friend. "If my father were around right now, he'd probably laugh at us." Ukobach nodded and made a little noise that sounded oddly like a 'yeah.'


	4. Is There A Place Out There For Me?

_Kaijou High School, Japan_

Shito Tachibana tried his very best to ignore the both of them. His part-time coworkers and classmates never gave it a rest. He couldn't help but grit his teeth and roll his eyes. 'You know,' he thought to himself. 'One of these days she will realize that he's a full time ladies man, and has no other qualities, including intelligence.' He smiled smugly as he looked over at the silver haired porcupine who was sweet talking the girl sitting between them. 'Then, she'll probably stay away from him. That'd be fantastic.' Her lavender hair bounced a little as she laughed at something he'd said. Inwardly, Shito groaned. "This day is almost over," he told himself quietly, looking up at the wall clock. Class would be over in a few minutes and he silently prayed to God that he wouldn't explode in anger and frustration before then.

Normally, he would brush off their flirting and what not but today was not his day. He and this kid were actually close friends, partners if you will. The girl sitting between them was also a good friend of his. Though, on both accounts he would probably never admit it out loud.

Today was a horrible day, terrible, absolutely depressing, and it was all because of his nagging thoughts. 'What if we cannot pay off the debt?' he thought. 'It's coming time... It has almost been a year.' Though, His friends had no idea of how shitty he felt and they probably never would. But, the fact remains that it was a bad day and they were part of the cause. They constantly talked and giggled, never shutting their big Japanese mouths and it always made him feel worse and worse because he didn't anyone he could be like that with. He had no one.

He closed the book he was reading probably a bit harder than he should have, and dropped it into his backpack with a 'thump.' Just as the bell rang, he was getting up and pushing his chair in.

The girl, short but with a cute figure, turned to him and asked, "We're gonna go out to the shushi bar down the street, you wanna come too?" Shito smiled as he put his thin hands into his dress pant pockets. "No thanks, Miss Kita. You go, I think I'm just gonna go back to the dorm." She nodded, almost sadly and let him be. Shito left before anyone else had a chance to say goodbye to him or even leave the room.

His friends stayed back in the room, watching him, scratching their heads. "What's got into him?" she asked as she looked over at her friend. His mussed silver hair, punk clothing, and off grin once again reminded her of how different he and Shito both were. Finally, he replied. "I don't know, Michiru. Maybe he's sick of eating my sushi like he always does?" They both laughed and at the same time, grimaced at the memory.

Michiru left the classroom and began walking down the old hallway, only to realize she was alone. "Chika!" she yelled as she saw him walking over to a vending machine. "That stuff's no good for you. Come on!" Resigned to the fact that he was being forced to eat healthy, he followed her orders and jogged back over to her. "Is it alright that I invited Koyomi and Sotetsu, too?" She turned to her friend and a small smile found her features. "That's fine, yeah." Chika smiled and watched her for a moment. Her cheeks flushed and she turned to leave. After a momens or so, he followed.

Back at the cemetery, Shito had wandered in and walked over to the old oak tree that stood next to a family that had come over from Ireland centuries ago. He plopped down next to a headstone that was nearly two hundred years old. He still felt older, even though the stone had seen better days. It was covered in moss and it had long since began to crumble. He leaned his head back against it and looked up at the sky. He couldn't believe that this was the very same sky he had been looking at when his mother died. It was so much darker then. It was as if the heavens had known tragedy had happened and that they made sure it came through, in the form of rain. A little boy had been left alone and motherless against the cold world that day, so many many moons ago.

Shito reached into his suit jacket and pulled out his mother's comb. It was black and embroidered in red with delicate ink. Just as it had so many years ago, it began to rain.

As he looked at the comb, he felt the sadness creep up his spine, ready to take over as soon as another bad memory came back to haunt him. "Damn Corpse Release Spell," he swore angrily and punched the cold, hard ground. He hand started to throb and ache but he didn't care. He couldn't feel the pain. He could care less about the throbbing. He couldn't even feel the rain as it hit his skin. All he could feel was the hurt in his heart, holding him down like liquid lead.

He sat there and watched the rain as it pelted the ground. It splashed and pooled around the headstones on the dying grass. His clothes stuck to him and his hair began to curl from the hard rain. "I just wish... I just wish you could see me now. "


	5. Your boyfriend?

_True_ Cross Academy, Japan__

Rin just wanted to leave and go back to his dorm, maybe even just go out. It was a Saturday and he didn't want to spend it indoors and most definitely not working. He had been up for hours now trying to perfect some control over his flames on the candles in the gym. It wasn't even lunch time yet and Shura had long since left and gone home. He however, was told to stay and work hard. "Work hard," he said and chuckled to himself. "On a Saturday. Right, okay."

Finally he gave up, not being able to stand it any longer. It was too quiet and he had a headache that would kill a human. His head nearly split in laugh when he stood up, causing the floor to creak. As he packed up his backpack, he took special care stacking his candles next to his new cookbooks. "Wouldn't wanna get wax all over those," he commented and zipped up his bag. Kuro purred next to him and he remembered he was there. "Damn," Rin laughed. "Don't scare me like that." Kuro tilted his head up at the young man, almost as if he found it amusing.

Rin looked at his image in the mirror, checking to see if he looked fit to leave. He laughed at his hair. It was sticking up on all ends. He pulled a comb from his pocket and solved the problem. "There," he said, feeling good about himself. He still had bags under his eyes that made him look like he was wearing eye shadow and mascara; he was clad in sweatpants, an old raggy hoodie, and his red boots. He had a five o'clock shadow coming in and it itched like crazy, too. It was safe to say that he looked like death itself on this fine morning. He may have looked like a bum, but he was comfy and he could care less as to what others thought.

As he left the gym he thought of what he could do for the rest of the day. His mind was in the clouds as he held the door open for Kuro. The cat sith followed him outside, meowing here and there. He finally decided upon going down the street to the food mart to pick up dinner. He sighed as they walked the stretch of sidewalk to the store. He passed a coffee shop and smell of the coffee and cakes was delicious and almost overwhelming.

The leaves had all fallen by now and the sky looked so empty, void of trees that had been thick with leaves. The city high-rises stood tall and ominous in the sky, their white and blue brick seemed dark against the white sky. Snow would fall soon, Rin could feel it.

Rin sighed with relief as they reached the food mart. Kuro waited outside for him near a bike rack. He held the door open for an elderly woman who walked from the coffee shop to the mart. He soon regretted it though because she took forever to step past the threshold and into the store. She must have gone a mile an hour. He didn't cut past her though, Shiro would have been angry at him if he'd done that. 'Patience," he father had always said. "Have patience."

After the old lady had gone in a different direction as him, he quickly took off for the meat isle. He picked out two nice porter houses and weighed them. He was happy to learn they were actually on sale. He then went to find some sides for his steak. He couldn't help but laugh at all the people who had no idea how unhealthy all that junk food they were buying was. He picked up some wax beans, green tomatoes, and spices. All in all, he had only spent a small amount of money. On his way out, he noticed someone. He scratched his head, contemplating going back. His gut told him to go back and he decided to follow it.

He wandered over to one of the isles and smiled. "Hey," he said in a friendly manner. He cradled his grocery bag in his opposite hand as he reached out to shake the young man's hand. "Chika, how you doing?" Chika Akatsuki laughed and ran a hand through his silver hair. "Damn man, didn't think I'd be seeing you again. Good to see you. I'm doing alright." Rin noticed the man's work outfight and realized he worked here, in the food mart. He wore a blue button down and ironed dress pants. "Good to hear. You work here?" Rin asked. Chika nodded and sighed. "Money's money, right? I hate it here," he said and laughed a little. Rin nodded and looked around. Chika asked, "So, how's life?" Rin shrugged his shoulders. "Life's good, I guess. I'm busy with school… or failing it, rather." They both laughed. "Dude, me too." Chika's comment made Rin feel a little better. Chika laughed, again. "It's not that I hate school, I just hate all the work." With that, Rin definitely agreed.

Rin wondered if he would want to hang out so he figured it couldn't hurt to ask. "When's your shift over?" Chika thought for a moment, biting his lip. "Two hours, I think." He looked over the man opposite him as he held his grocery bag tight to him. "How come?" Rin shrugged his shoulders and smiled. "I thought maybe you can come over later, if you wanna hang?" Chika put his scarred hands on his hips. "That's sounds awesome dude, sure. I think I remember whereabouts you live." Rin waved off his comment. "If you do wanna hang, I'll swing by and we can walk over to my place together." Chika nodded and rubbed his arm. "Don't worry, I can find your place. I'll see you after work then?" Rin shook his head and started walking away but turned around. "Cool. See you then."

After Rin had left the little food mart, he and Kuro walked back to the dorm toom. Rin told Kuro all about his seeing Chika, his new friend as Kuro perched himself up on his bony shoulder.

A ways down the block Rin noticed a car speeding away from an apartment house. The tires burned and shrieked on the pavement. He squinted when he thought he saw someone. Sure enough, he had. A girl was sitting on the sidewalk crying, holding her arms tight to her chest.

Rin held on tight to his bags as he ran down the sidewalk and over to her. No one had stopped and asked if she was okay and people walked by as if nothing had happened. It made Rin mad that people were often so cold-hearted and oblivious to everything. He knelt down next to her and put his bag down. "You okay?" She looked up at him, revealing beautiful green eyes and short, blonde hair. Her eyes were puffy from crying. She looked to be Rin's age or somewhere around there. She shrugged her shoulders in response. "I'm okay, mister. Don't worry about it." Rin sat down next to her, worried. "Who was that?" he asked, referring to the guy who had taken off like a bat out of hell. "My boyfriend," she answered and sniffled. She was dressed in a thermal, black baggy jeans, old, beat-up black boots. Her nails were black, she had some tattoos on her body that showed, and her ears and lip were pierced. Rin smiled. 'Goth girl,' he thought. 'I love goth chicks.'

Rin's brain began to work again and the gears began to turn. "Your boyfriend? Did he hurt you? You want me to call the police?" For the first time, she smiled at him, though it was through sad eyes. "Say, what's your name, mister?" He smiled softly. "Rin, Rin Okumura." She nodded. "Rin… That's a cute name. I think I've seen you somewhere before." Rin shrugged and thought for a moment. "Maybe." She pointed at him. "Oh, you lived over at the monastery down the road, right? Reverend Fujimoto's monastery?" Rin nodded. "Shiro is my father, yeah." For a moment she looked sad. "Oh, really? I'm sorry for your loss. He was a sweetheart of a man. I used to go there with my family." She seemed genuinely sorry, like she could relate to Rin's pain and loss. Rin nodded but didn't say anything. "You know," she said. "I'm okay. Thanks for running over to me before, though. My boyfriend's an ass, well my ex-boyfriend is an ass. He just broke up with me." Rin met her gaze. "Oh. Bad fight?" She nodded. "Good for me though because now I don't have to deal with him anymore. He wasted a year of my life and I just couldn't get rid of him. I wanna start fresh." They both looked at each other, small smiles finding their features.

They sat there for a quiet moment before Rin asked, "What's your name?" She looked over at him and smirked. "Kira Oono." Rin stood up and helped her up. "Kira? I like that name." He walked her to her door from the sidewalk. Luckily, she was only on the first floor. "Thanks, again. I don't know what I would have done if he had come back." Rin shook his head. "You would have done nothing because I would have already knocked him out." She laughed at his joke and he smiled. "You know, you have very shaggy hair," she said and reached out to touch his head. She mused his hair a little. "I need a haircut, I know." She shook her head and met his eyes. "No you don't. I meant that in a good way. I like your hair, a lot." Rin blushed. "Oh."

A little less than an hour later Rin began walking home with Kuro again and he felt exhausted. The girl he had met named Kira had given him her number. She had jokingly said he was her protector and he had asked her for her number. "Maybe we can go to the mall sometime," he pondered. She had smiled and handed over a piece of paper to her.

Once he was home, he immediately began to cook steaks he had bought. Ukobach helped him as he rushed around to make dinner for her and his friend. He had stopped though when the phone rang. "Hello," he said into the receiver. "Hi Rin," Renzo said. "Me and the gang were wondering if you wanted to go bowling with us tomorrow night. Remember you said you wanted to? We came by earlier to ask if you wanted to go out tonight but you weren't home." Rin smiled and played with the corner of the cutting board. "Tomorrow night? Yeah, sure. Yukio can come, too. He's coming home tomorrow around lunchtime." Renzo quickly answered his friend. "Sure, that's sounds super fun. See you then."

After Rin had hung up the phone, he wondered how he was so lucky. "I have such good friends," he said out loud to himself. In that moment he felt as if his father was smiling down on him. He couldn't help but smile back. "Love you, Dad."


End file.
